A Short History

Though the district was formed comparatively recently, the region has a history that dates back to at least ten centuries before Christ. According to historians, organised human life existed in these parts since New Stone Age and there are many evidences unearthed to assert this opinion.

If you are looking for a recorded history of the district, you will get records which date back to only 18th century, but the ancient artefacts unearthed from the area, the drawings and carvings on the caves here etc, speak volumes about a rich history that at least starts from New Stone Age. The Edakkal Caves of Ambukuthimala, with the pictures and pictorial writings on their walls, stand in testimony to the fact that a rather reformed civilisation existed in the area since ages.

Coming back to the recorded history, you can learn that for ages, the only settlers here were tribals or Adivasis and the region was ruled by the Rajas of the Veda tribe. Much later, the Kottayam royal dynasty took over the reign of the region. The region also witnessed the invasion of Hyder Ali, the ruler of Mysore and his son Tipu Sultan. In the days of Tipu Sultan, the administration of Wayanad region was restored to the Kottayam royal dynasty. But after the Sreerangapattam truce with the British, Tipu Sultan handed over the control of the whole Malabar region to the British.